The Annotated Homicide Rate VS Gun Control, 1885 To 2011

Someone did an excellent job of annotating our homicide rate chart from 1885 to 2011. Since every thing here is intended to be taken for use against the gun control nuts, I am glad they left a link so I could enjoy their good work.

Here is the same chart, with just a bit greater detail than dropping keywords on the graphic allow. The easiest way to do this is to put key numbers referencing the notes, below:

1.) The SodbustersThe United States was pretty well settled by 1885, with homicide rates that generally reflected the country of origin of the settlers. Most areas homicide rates were as low as 0.4 per 100,000 population, or 1 murder for 250,000 population. The exceptions were some notorious cities such as New York and San Francisco.

2.) Labor Wars The same labor problems that very nearly destroyed the British Monarchy visited the US. While the homicide rates stayed extremely low by today’s standards, murder rates were terrifyingly high by the standards of the time. The resulting gun control laws that were intended to disarm strikers and scabs hit everyone, and the homicide rate more than tripled.

3.)Sullivan’s Turnaround The labor wars took a breather in 1909 and 1910, with a slight decrease in both homicide and violent crime rates. There were well founded hopes for continuing decline in those rates but New York’s “Big Tim” Sullivan destroyed those hopes with New York’s Sullivan Law and the soaring crime rates that caused.

4.)Bathtub Gin and Gun Control. As a result of further labor problems, WWI, prohibition, and the rise of gangs such as Capone’s, murder and violent crime rates did not come down until 1934, when prohibition was a dead letter and cash strapped police departments stopped enforcing gun laws that should never have been passed in the first place.

5.)The Black Market Spike. During WWII the same gangs that fought for alcohol distribution rights fought to supply the black markets with everything from kerosene, meat, and catchup, to tobacco, and yes, booze. While law eforcement came down hard, it was still enough to cause a short term spike in murder rates.

6.) The Second American Gun Control Drive The second gun control drive effectively began in early 1963 and the results were immediately obvious. Homicide rates doubled in a decade, going from a rate of 4.6 per 100,000 population in 1963 to an official rate of 9.4 per 100,000 in 1973 and 9.8 in 1974. The apparent short term declines between 1973 and 1991 are a result of under-reporting crime totals, and not an actual decline. That decline did not come until…

8.) And now, with murder rates at a 100 year low And now, with a year and a half years of decline to add to the post 1993 decline, it appears the United States murder rate is at its lowest point since 1910. And it is obvious that the ruling faction in the Democratic Partei wants to drive murder rates back to where they were in the 1980’s. It is also obvious that they must be stopped.